Hidden Figures movie, Recovery and Landing on the Moon, Look Beyond the Numbers

Embark on a transformative odyssey with us, mirroring the innovative spirit of "Hidden Figures," as we traverse the often winding and complex terrain of recovery from addiction. This episode promises a revelation, a guiding light for those navigating the intricate process of healing, offering the Recovery Growth Scorecard as your compass. Just as NASA's lunar mission hinged on unconventional thinking and steadfast dedication, we uncover that the real trajectory to triumph over addiction requires an equally robust investment of time, effort, and financial resources. With candid discussions on the role of character development and spiritual tenets like honesty and discipline, we chart a course towards a solid foundation for lasting recovery.

We recognize that the journey to recovery is as diverse and layered as the human experience itself. In the spirit of embracing this complexity, we delve into the importance of nurturing every facet of our well-being. From the spiritual practices of prayer and meditation to fostering community ties and prioritizing brain health, we dissect the myriad elements that contribute to a comprehensive path of recovery. As we stand on the precipice of season five, our conversation advances, promising to dissect the extensive scope of what it means to heal, evolve, and ultimately, thrive in a state of well-being. Join us, as we continue to explore the profound depths of recovery, sustained by the lessons we've gleaned from the remarkable feats of the past.

Chapters

• 0:02 Recovery and the Importance of Investment
• 9:58 Understanding the Complexity of Recovery

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

Do you see yourself on the moon? This is 1962. From the movie Hidden Figures, kevin Costner, the NASA director, is asking Taraji P Henson, playing Catherine Johnson, that he just doesn't need another smart mathematician or engineer. He needs someone that can look beyond the numbers, to look around the numbers and to look through the numbers. That is how you're going to land on the moon, because you've got to realize, in 1962, we had yet to even orbit the Earth, much less land on the moon and return back to Earth safely.

Speaker 1: 0:55

Welcome again to another episode of the 1% in Recovery podcast, where we encourage you to laugh every day, work hard and to love unconditionally. Your EQ is your IQ. You cannot outthink an emotional issue. Making headway is the Recovery Growth Scorecard. It is free, it is on the website wwwlifeiswonderfullove or email me at hugovi at lifeiswonderfullove. You see, the scorecard allows you, each individual, to keep score on a daily, weekly basis on how to begin recovery, on how to begin detox, on really how to begin to start living better. It's a list of natural dopamine, natural serotonin, natural endorphins, natural oxytocin things that help you fill the void, because when we are in action, we don't realize how much time we are wasting in our addiction and then, once we stop, how much time is available to us? We cannot have our mind wander. And if you have questions about recovery, the steps, relationships, you can also book a free 15-minute call with yours truly hugovi on the website wwwlifeiswonderfullove.

Speaker 1: 2:38

Now let's get into this week's episode. I was watching the movie Hidden Figures again and that scene came up where Kevin Kossner, the NASA director, had seen himself or placing astronauts US astronauts on the moon and then returning them home. He did not know how to do that mathematically, but he was counting on what he was calling the smartest people that he knew. In that room he was having this one-on-one conversation with Catherine Johnson because he doesn't need another smart engineer. It's the same thing in recovery. We don't need another person who claims to know something about recovery.

Speaker 1: 3:40

Recovery is not one point, like I hear so many people say. Well, you know what Recovery is about pain, resolve the pain, and then you stop the addiction and then they start to recovery. Or they talk about the trauma, or it's about the loneliness, or it's about childhood or family, or you just need to work the 12 steps of recovery, or you just need to do some CBT therapy with your psychologist therapist, and those are all healthy and they will all help you get to the end point. But what I've noticed in why people struggle so much, why people relapse, why people never advance, I mean it's sad. One year later, two years later, three years later, they're still on step two, step four, step six. That's just doing the step work. So I'm assuming they would do more in therapy because they're actually paying.

Speaker 1: 4:56

And we're going to do another episode on this idea that recovery is free. Recovery is not free. Nothing is free. Addiction is not free. You cannot buy alcohol without actually paying for it and buying it. You cannot gamble without putting money into some type of account and then gambling off the money that's in the account. Drugs can't go to treatment centers. You can't do some type of outpatient IOP from a treatment center or a therapy with a psychologist or a psychiatrist or some type of therapist.

Speaker 1: 5:46

It all costs money and I am a firm believer that when you don't pay any money, you don't pay attention. The more money you spend, the more you pay attention. Now I got that listening to my buddy Gail and Bingham from a podcast, whiskey, jazz and Leadership. He was talking to him from another one of his coaches and it is so true. When you put zero money into something like the 12 step rooms, put zero money, there is no motivation to move through the first week, the first month, you can just sit there on your ass and claim that I am doing recovery because I am listening to meetings. That's like saying that I am getting better at basketball because I watch a lot of NCAA and NBA games.

Speaker 1: 6:53

Think about it Okay, I may pick up a move here or there. Oh, that's a good way to cross over. That might be a good way to free up my man. That would be a good way to play D. You may get some tips, no different than in meetings. You get some tips, but in reality, recovery requires effort, requires money, requires time, and the people who truly recover are the people who actually invested their money, which meant then they invested their time and which then meant that they invested their attention. And you can say that, well, I no longer have any more money, I gamble it all away, or I drink so much I'm really in a bind. You're not going to be able to move forward until you then make it a priority to maybe get a short term second job, get some other types of projects where you can make some extra money so you can actually do this work. You cannot deal with emotional issues thinking about it. You cannot deal with the money about the Recovery Growth Scorecard for free.

Speaker 1: 8:22

I also help people through step one my way for free, just to get people going. Write down your goals. What do you want to do with your life? Work on your honesty. I also begin the character, because it's not just about the emotional issues. It's truly about changing character.

Speaker 1: 8:49

We read all through the 12 steps literature, whether it's the big book, whether it's other 12 step addictions. They all talk about spiritual principles, which is the same thing as character traits. Hope, honesty, faith, courage, persistence, discipline. These are the things that you need to have implemented in your life and you need to have answers to what they mean to you. Too many of us same thing with goals says I know what my goals are, I know what honesty means to me. You're unwilling to buy a journal book for a few dollars and to write down your answers and to keep your thoughts and you can change your thoughts and ideas as you delve deeper into the subject.

Speaker 1: 9:58

I want people to truly understand recovery is this big thing? This big thing and it's not easy. So you do have to look beyond the numbers in recovery, look through the numbers in recovery, look around the numbers in recovery, because when you do that you see that, okay, part of recovery is my spiritual life. Okay, do I pray, do I meditate, do I join some type of religious organization? Do I go to certain meetings? Do I do morning meditation somewhere? Same thing with the emotional or the physical stuff. What else are you doing to get out to start healing your brain? Because recovery is multifaceted. That means your brain is constantly evolving and you need to heal it and you need to kind of almost repair it, fix it to get it to a much more healthier state. With that, we will continue this conversation here on season five and that will conclude this episode of the 1% in recovery podcast.